1. Field of the Invention
My invention relates generally to a process for formulating and applying a coating and sealing compound suitable for use in waterproofing textiles, and, more specifically, to a method for fabricating a seamless bodysuit for a variety of uses.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide range of impermeable materials are known in the art suitable for use in the fabrication of special clothing intended to protect the wearer in cold, wet, or otherwise inhospitable environments. The well-known wet suit is a tightly fitting garment worn by cold-water swimmers as protection against the cold temperatures. The wet suit is so-called because it is normally flooded and performs its function by holding a layer of water against the skin of the swimmer. This layer of water is heated to body temperature by body heat and insulates the swimmer from the ambient water temperature because the wet suit prevents circulation of ambient water against the swimmer's skin.
The dry suit is also used by swimmers and divers for protection against the cold water temperature but, unlike the wet suit, is not flooded and performs by insulating the swimmer from the cold water while sealing against flooding. The dry suit generally provides auxiliary heating means and/or thicker insulation means than is necessary with the wet suit because the dry suit has no provision for holding an insulating layer of warm, static water against the swimmer's skin.
A biohazard suit is known in the art for protecting the wearer against exposure to hazardous biological material in the environment. The biohazard suit is sealed against flooding by air or water and attaches to sealed boots, helmet and gloves to completely isolate the wearer from the hazardous environment.
The general bodysuit class of protective wear includes the biohazard suit, the wet suit, the dry suit, and other similar protective wear having requirements for high thermal insulation, low permeability, precise mechanical fit on the body of the wearer, and resistance to accidental breaks and leakage. Other important requirements for this bodysuit class of protective wear is flexibility for wearer mobility, fire resistance, zero buoyancy, suitability for embedded wiring and sensors, and visibility (coloration).
The dry suit and wet suit known in the art consists of layers of neoprene foam rubber stitched together with appropriate seals or water-tight zippers to permit the wearer to don and doff the suit. The neoprene foam bodysuit has several well-known disadvantages. The neoprene foam seams are prone to leakage. The neoprene rubber is highly flammable, is prone to UV degradation, is easily breached by abrasion, and is restrictive of wearer mobility because of the thickness required for acceptable thermal insulation values. Moreover, the neoprene foam wet suit is highly buoyant, requiring inconvenient weight belts in underwater use. Similar disadvantages are known for other neoprene foam bodysuits fabricated for use as dry suits and other related applications.
Because of these well-known disadvantages, numerous improvements have been attempted by practitioners in the art over the years to overcome such disadvantages. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,319 issued to Jack E. O'Neill on May 8, 1973, discloses a suit provided with tight inturned seals at the neck, ankles, and wrists to make them substantially watertight. The suit is made in one piece with a single zipper across the back of the shoulders, extending from arm to arm, permitting the suit to function either as a wet suit or a dry suit. O'Neill does not suggest a solution to the abrasion, seam failure, flammability, or excessive buoyancy problems, although he does teach the use of air inflation to increase buoyancy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,795 issued to Richard W. Long, et al. on Aug. 14, 1984, discloses an easy-access underwater diving suit with provisions for adjustment to the height of the diver to overcome the common problem of poor fit found with neoprene foam bodysuits. U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,134 issued to Richard W. Long, et al. on Jun. 14, 1983, discloses a method of sealing a neoprene foam material seam that overcomes the worst of the well-known seam leakage problems, but Long, et al. do not suggest or disclose any methods for seamless fabrication of a bodysuit to overcome all disadvantages of such seams.
To obtain satisfactory thermal insulation using only neoprene foam rubber, most bodysuits known in the art become so thick that the mobility of the wearer is seriously impaired. Practitioners have addressed this problem in the past by improving the suit material to increase thermal insulation. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,825 issued to F. H. Chun on May 26, 1970, discloses a protective diving suit comprising a protective laminate having a flexible foam core provided with intercommunicating cells and an elastomeric foam skin at each side of the core. Chun fills his foam core with a liquid, preferably distilled water, to enhance the thermal insulation properties of his suit. Chun also provides electrical heating means for heating the liquid in his foam core.
The well-known mechanical vulnerability of neoprene foamrubber sheets results in frequent unintentional breach of the bodysuit by abrasion and tearing. This problem has also been addressed by many practitioners in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,725,173 issued to C. S. Johnson, et al. on Apr. 3, 1973, discloses a method of making a protective diving suit that includes a fish scale arrangement of overlapping plastic chips sandwiched between layers of neoprene rubber to form a type of body armor.
There has also been much interest in the improvement of bodysuits intended for applications in dry hazardous environments. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,041 issued to Robert W. Gore, et al. on Mar. 18, 1980, discloses a waterproof laminate that prevents liquid water from penetrating through from the outside but permits the evaporation of perspiration and other moisture from within the garment. The Gore, et al. invention is suitable for use in biohazard suits and related applications requiring an impermeable garment that may be worn comfortably in a dry, room-temperature environment.
Although practitioners have addressed one or more of the many deficiencies of the typical neoprene foam rubber bodysuit, a strongly-felt need exists for a novel bodysuit design that avoids all or most such difficulties. Such a bodysuit design would provide high thermal insulation without sacrificing flexibility or mobility, seamless construction to preserve impermeability to moisture and other contaminants, a custom fit for every wearer, inherent resistance to UV light degradation and high resistance to accidental breach or leakage through abrasion or tearing, variable thickness and flexibility at the joints for enhanced mobility, high fire resistance, zero or negative buoyancy, provisions for embedding wires and sensors within the insulating layers of the suit, and complete color and decorative flexibility.
This combination of unresolved problems and deficiencies is clearly felt in the art and is solved by my invention in the manner described below.